Governor Malloy understands that we can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. There's a limit to how much money we can borrow, there won't be more money coming out of Washington on which we can rely, and we have to take into account state funds that have already been committed. We cannot continue to put off tough decisions that may be difficult now, but will help us get our fiscal house back in order down the line. Governor Malloy will cut state spending, while at the same time create new jobs and keep the ones we have to increase revenue coming into the state. We need to restructure state government to provide services to Connecticut residents, but at a substantially lower cost to taxpayers. There is no easy answer, but Governor Malloy is committed to getting our state back on track again.

In response to consensus revenue figures announced today by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA), Governor Dannel P. Malloy directed OPM Secretary Ben Barnes to develop a budget management plan that will limit spending to available resources in FY12.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today signed Executive Order 17 which will create a nine member Governor’s Business Tax Policy Review Taskforce. The taskforce’s mission will be to review the state’s business tax policies to ensure that Connecticut is getting the maximum return on its investments, with an eye toward policies that will make the state even more competitive for future job growth.

As part of an effort led by Governor Dannel P. Malloy to make doing business with the state easier and more efficient, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) announced today that the agency’s contracting process has been streamlined and automated.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today said that Jackson Laboratory’s (JAX) decision to launch a billion dollar personalized medicine project on the campus of the University of Connecticut Health Center highlights an immediate return on the investment the state made earlier this year in Bioscience Connecticut, and that it shows Connecticut’s research triangle is “coming to life.”

Nearing the completion of his Jobs Tour, Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced the agenda for the upcoming October 6 Economic Summit, which combines experts and speakers from academia, the private sector and the public sector, to discuss ways in which we can reinvent Connecticut and lead the way in a 21st century economy.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today appointed Dr. Robert Kennedy, immediate past president of the University of Maine, as the Interim President of the Board of Regents of Higher Education, a new system, which includes the four state universities (Central, Eastern, Southern and Western) as well as the community college system and Charter Oak State College, the state’s online college.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced the members of a newly-formed task force that will review the effectiveness of the state’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant and how it relates to state constitutional requirements.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today named six of his nine appointments to the Board of Regents for Higher Education, which oversees the four regional state universities, the community college system and Charter Oak State College.

As the new fiscal year begins Friday, state agency consolidations and mergers proposed in February by Governor Dannel P. Malloy are well underway. The initiative will reduce the number of state agencies by 30% and will streamline government and improve efficiency.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy, House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan and Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams today announced a plan to close the $400 million gap that exists in the biennium budget.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced a new jobs initiative at the University of Connecticut Health Center, which will help put people to work now and sustain economic growth and innovation going forward. In addition, the proposal will help make Connecticut a leader in the bioscience industry.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced a partnership between state and federal agencies designed to match qualified Connecticut small businesses with federal and state prime contractors to increase business opportunities. On June 23 at the University of Hartford, Connecticut small businesses will have an opportunity to meet with prime government contractors and federal and state contracting agencies.

Mark Ojakian, Deputy Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and Higher Education Chairman Roberta B. Willis announced an agreement concerning Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to consolidate the state’s community colleges, the Connecticut State University system and Charter Oak College to flatten administration and direct more money to students and classroom instruction. The deal had been in the works since last week, and details were finalized last night.

When signing Executive Order One on his first day in office, Governor Dannel P. Malloy mandated that the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management prepare a plan to bring Connecticut’s budget in alignment with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), as prescribed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today reflected on his first 100 days in office and the 17 Town Hall Meetings he held across the state. Governor Malloy began those meetings on February 21 in Bridgeport and finished on April 12 in Middletown. Taking into account the concerns raised, Governor Malloy today announced that he would reinstate the property tax credit to $300. In addition, his revised tax package lessens the burden on the vast majority of the middle class.

The Office of Policy and Management (OPM) announced today that it has secured new fixed-price contracts to supply natural gas to Connecticut’s state agencies. One contract, covering 453 natural gas accounts for the period of July 1 through September 30, 2011, will result in a price reduction of 37.7 percent. An additional contract, covering 12 fuel-switching accounts for the same period, shows a 25.1 percent reduction. OPM estimates the combined cost savings for the state at approximately $660,000.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today highlighted several items on the agenda for this week’s meeting of the State Bond Commission which invest in the revitalization of Connecticut’s infrastructure, create or maintain thousands of construction-related jobs, and enhance future economic growth in the state.

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced the approval of Connecticut's State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) application. Connecticut's planned use of the SSBCI funds will help create new jobs and is expected to spur more than $133 million in additional small business lending in that state.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced an agreement between the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to conduct online reverse auctions for the purchase of commodities. This agreement will not only achieve significant savings but will also generate new revenue for the state.

In one of his highest profile appointments to date, Governor Dannel P. Malloy today named ING executive Catherine Smith to lead the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). Smith, who lives in Northford, has worked for ING for the past 10 years; prior to that, she worked at Aetna for 17 years.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he has appointed Dan DeSimone to be the director of Connecticut’s state office in Washington D.C. DeSimone will work with Connecticut’s Congressional Delegation and coordinate Connecticut’s federal legislative and policy work on behalf of Governor Malloy.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced today that a move by the state Department of Labor towards a new paperless direct deposit system for unemployment insurance benefits will save the state approximately $300,000 a month on printing and mailing costs – a notable shift toward finding efficiencies that reduces state spending while improving services. The Governor said the move is an example of the type of change he would like to carry across all state departments as he continues looking for ways to reduce costs.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy unveiled his biennial budget today, covering fiscal years 2012 and 2013. The budget includes investments in job creation, as well as cuts in spending, concessions from state employees and tax increases in approximately equal measures, while keeping the safety net intact and supporting business and industry as they create jobs.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced a sweeping plan to overhaul the state's higher education governance and structure to provide more resources for classroom teaching and instruction to help increase the number of students receiving degrees. Governor Malloy's plan will empower Connecticut State University System and community college local campuses without closing or combining them, while at the same time, saving taxpayers and students tens of millions of dollars over time. The University of Connecticut will function separately from this governance.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced his plan to create a newly consolidated Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), an agency that will consolidate Connecticut’s widely dispersed energy functions, including the Department of Public Utility Control, with the Department of Environmental Protection to allow for a more effective coordination of state energy and environmental policies.

The administration of Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman today announced plans for sweeping, cost-saving changes in the organization of state health care programs for nearly 600,000 residents.

Governor Dannel P. Malloy joined Congressman John Larson, Co-Chair of the Northeast Rail Caucus, Pennsylvania Congressman Bill Shuster, Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, and a group of legislators, state and federal officials and other stakeholders at Hartford’s Union Station to discuss efforts to build the New Haven-Springfield rail line and increase high speed rail access in New England.

The twelve policy working groups put together by the Malloy transition team met with Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman and the entire steering committee today to give their final reports, a culmination of the work begun in early December to ensure the policy-making process was reflective of the many voices in the state.

Governor Dan Malloy, sworn into office earlier today, signed three executive orders this afternoon, which will demand fiscal responsibility and honest budgeting, and the transparency in and continuity of government.

Governor-Elect Dan Malloy today announced the leaders of his policy working groups. These groups, which are still being formed, will work with Policy Transition Team co-chairs Linda Kelly and Joe McGee to gather input in specific policy areas.